The Market

The soles of her feet were wet from the puddles on the road. It was not something she could avoid, no matter how much she wanted.

“Flip flops were a bad idea”, she mumbled to herself as she ducked under the arm of an oncoming father with a kid on his shoulder.

The morning market is an institution, blocking off a whole parking lot. Close to a hundred stalls lined up, selling their wares, shouting at the top of their lungs, haggling with the intensity of soap operas. Every Sunday morning, Elisa would have to follow her mum through the market, holding bags of raw fish, chicken or pork, while she witnesses the whole town’s gossip get downloaded into her mother’s head.

The smell was the worst. It wasn’t just the smell of raw meat. That was not as bad, given the freshness of them. It was the smell of humans. Sweating humans, talking humans, wet sandals on questionable asphalt puddles. Elisa squeezed her shoulders into her chest to make herself as small as possible. Breathing through a small gap in her mouth as the only way to cope.

Her only respite was at the end of the parking lot market. That was where the food was. The noodles, cakes, kuih, and the best thing of all, the you-tiao. Crunchy deep fried Chinese donuts with a pillowy centre. Eating it on its own is amazing, or you can dip it in your porridge, sweetened silken tofu, or red bean soup. With the perfect timing, the you-tiao absorbs all the liquids in it’s centre, and transforming that outer texture into something new and satisfying. That was what she was here for. That was the only reason she is here, in this wet, loud, and horrid place every weekend. Aside from being an obedient and helpful daughter.

Every time her mother stopped, Elisa will slowly inch her way toward the food stalls. Being careful to not stray too far into the crowd while also enough to signal to her mother to hurry up. And most importantly, to not come across as rude to, what was seemingly the 20th person to stop her mother for a conversation.

It was incredibly tactical, you see. If she strayed too far, hoards of humans will form a wall between her and her mother, cutting them off and making it hard to reunite. If she did not make her move, the length of time her mother spent at each stall and in each conversation grew longer the deeper they got into the market. If she positioned herself too visibly, conversations that often times drift to her would require her to put on a show of respect and enthusiasm. No. She has found the optimal way to get to her you-tiao.

This morning, her mother was unusually fast. Elisa was pleased at the pace. As they got closer to the food stalls, her mother leaned over, asking “Why don’t you bring these back to the car first. I’ll get the food quickly and meet you there.”

No. No. Part of the fun is going through the food stalls. It would have made the last hour worth it. What was she thinking?

“I can go and get the food!” She stood her ground. “I know what everyone wants. I’ll get them for the family” She kept her eyes locked on her mother. Suddenly, all the people around her did not seem that loud and aggressive anymore.

After some contemplation, her mother nodded and took out her purse. She dug around in there for a bit too long, before handing Elisa some money. “Okay, get something for everyone” she said with a smile “But, I don’t need anything. I’m not that hungry today.”

Elisa hesitated. She knew the lie her mother tells. But she ended up taking it anyways, fearing that the gesture would be rescinded. “Thank you” she said while passing the plastic bags of produce over to her mother.

She started across quickly to the end of the market, toward the smell of the food and away from the musk of the crowd. She weaved and dodged everyone around her. Almost like a dance that no one else knew they were a part of. Between, around and under the arms of the adults, Elisa had her senses dial up to eleven. She could see everyone, anticipate their movements, predict their next steps, even the guy in the white tank top that has just overtaken her and picked out some produce from a shoppers basket.

A thief. Elisa did not stop. She kept walking, they were heading in the same direction after all. She gripped the money tighter in her pockets and tried to yell, but nothing came out. Wether her voice was mute or drowned out by the crowd, she could not tell. All she could do is follow the man as he went from one victim to another.

He did not take much. Just a bit here and there from each patron. He looked young. An adult, but young. Every movement of his was graceful and intentional. Each packet of chicken he stole, each tomato gets added to his own bag, as if he was any other shopper. Elisa’s gaze gave her away. He turned and they locked eyes for but a moment before he disappeared into the crowd.

What has she done? She was more anxious now. She lost sight of him. And he knew that she knew. Her hands were trembling in her pockets, still gripping the money tightly. “He is so cool” she thought. She reached the food stalls much more cautiously. Knowing that she could be the next mark.

She bought the breakfast her family needed, but hesitated at her prize. You-tiaos are cheap, but they are not economically sound for the portion. With just a bit more money, she could get a big packet of noodles that she could share with her mother. Elisa stood at the stall for longer than she would have liked. The stall owner has moved on from her to service the other patrons. Shouting over her as if she wasn’t there.

The smell wafted in front of her. The heat of the oil carrying it’s aroma and adhering to her moist skin curtsey of the humidity. She thought of her mother, how she wasn’t that hungry anyways. It was ok. This is what her mother would have bought if Elisa had went to the car early. This was always the plan. So why could she not bring herself to buy it?

“Another week.” She told herself. “It is fine.” She will have to come back another week. She turned tail to buy a big pack of noodles and headed toward the car with her goods in hand. Elisa was disappointed, but she had made her choice, dragging her feet and for another moment, forgotten how much she hated being in this environment.

As she approached her mother’s car, she perked up and held her goods tightly, remembering that the thief might still be lurking. In her act of caution, she noticed a smaller plastic bag with a couple of You-Tiaos in her pack. She stopped quickly to look around, then scrambled around her pack to see if anything was missing. No. It was all there. Everything was still there and then some.

She quickly darted toward her mother and got into the car. Her mother was as confused as she was, only chalking it up to a happy mistake over the counter.

As they drove away, Elisa saw the man again. He was sitting on the curb enjoying his own You-Tiao, giving her a smile when he noticed her. He lifted his You-Tiao to greet her, but she shrunk away. “How cool”, she thought, as they made their way home.